<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Burned (new version posted) by honestgrins</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23484364">Burned (new version posted)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins'>honestgrins</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [186]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Vampire Diaries (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-ish, F/M, Soulmates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:28:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23484364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Anonymous asked: Klaus and Caroline au soulmate meeting before the ritual</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [186]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/378628</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>167</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This original mini-set has been expanded into a full fic under the same title. To preserve comments and kudos, I have decided to leave this version live. Thanks for reading!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hello, love.”</p>
<p>Caroline looked up, terrified to note that Tyler still hung limp in his chains. Luckily, the guy strolling down the stone steps and the young woman following him hadn’t glanced her way yet. She shrunk back against the wall as she felt the danger rolling off of them. </p>
<p>The guy knelt down in front of Tyler, gently lifting his head and patting a cheek. “Come on, little wolf, time to wake up. Curses won’t break themselves, I’m afraid.”</p>
<p>While Tyler slowly lolled to life, the woman moved over to where Caroline was bound. Though still new to the whole supernatural life, she could feel the magic barely restrained. “You’re a witch,” she accused, her voice hoarse from yelling for help.</p>
<p>“And you’re going to die,” the witch answered blithely. She reached for her chin, but Caroline was quick to bare fang, smirking when the girl jumped back.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this caught the man’s attention. If she felt the magic on the witch, there was something far more potent coming from him. He grinned down at her, tracing a soft finger over the veins under her eyes. “Aren’t you pretty?”</p>
<p>She fought hard against the instinctive gasp, forced herself to remain still against the icy burn of the words splayed across her ribs. No, no no no. It couldn’t be-</p>
<p>Biting her tongue <em>hard</em>, she wouldn’t let him know. She couldn’t. Talking about curses, hoarding people as ingredients, this could only be Klaus. <em>The</em> Klaus. The guy was evil, totally, completely. He had no business, <em>none</em> whatsoever, being the soulmate she’d dreamed about for years.</p>
<p>Someone who would truly, for once and forever, be only hers. </p>
<p>And Caroline refused to give this Klaus the satisfaction of being his, not when he seemed determined to kill her and her friends.</p>
<p><em>No</em>.</p>
<p>But he was looking at her funny, pushing the witch back toward Tyler. “Take care of our friend, love. Leave this one to me.”</p>
<p>She fought against the chains as he reached toward her. It was futile, apparently, because she could tell he was stronger than Damon or Stefan would ever hope to be. </p>
<p>Easily snapping the manacles from her wrists, he had the gall to smile as he pulled her to her feet. “You must be Caroline.”</p>
<p>Still, she wouldn’t speak. She didn’t see any words on his skin, but she refused to chance it. But then the witch held out a hand to Tyler, who managed to tackle her before whatever spell she tried to cast could take hold. Instead, Klaus nearly broke her wrist in a stranglehold while going for him with full fang. “Don’t you <em>dare</em> hurt him.”</p>
<p>The words were instinctual and effective, if Klaus’s reaction meant anything. Like he’d been hit, he stared at her with venom and surprise. When she’d been a vampire ready for sacrifice, he’d looked at her like a toy to be carved apart for fun.</p>
<p>Now…now, he just stared.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Impossible</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>thetourguidebarbie asked: MORE OF BURNED PLEASE AND THANK YOUUUUU</p>
<p>Anonymous said: Hello, all your stuff is amazing and wonderful, but if you can please more soulmate first meeting!!! jgfdkbdkjfsbnkg;</p>
<p>Anonymous said: Could you please do a part 2 of Burned? I’m sucker for the soulmate trope and your drabbles are amazing! I look forward to them every week!!!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Don’t you dare hurt him.</em>
</p>
<p>The runes inscribed on his shoulder blade left some room for interpretation, which turned into something like a pastime for Rebekah. She wasted many an afternoon over the centuries wondering what her intended might say that finally brought her the joy of a soulmate bond. A thousand years of assuming his human mate had long since died left him drained of any sentiment for the idea, however, and Klaus had no patience for dreaming of impossibilities when the reality of breaking his curse was at hand.</p>
<p>Except the pretty, little vampire before him seemed perfectly real to him, her wrist very much in his hand.</p>
<p>
  <em>Don’t you dare hurt him.</em>
</p>
<p>He might not have taken heed of her words had a blade of ice not appeared to dig into his shoulder, carving out the runes he rarely thought of until they burned into his awareness. His grip unknowingly tightened until she released a pained gasp, but like hell was he going to let her slip free. “Apologies,” he murmured, gently moving his hand up to her elbow instead. </p>
<p>Though she glared, Caroline’s eyes still tracked the glide of his skin against hers, her fangs poking into her bottom lip. He felt an overwhelming urge to tug her closer, made primal when she easily stepped forward at the barest touch. </p>
<p>“Care!”</p>
<p>
  <em>Don’t you dare hurt him.</em>
</p>
<p>Holding back a growl, Klaus forced himself not to attack the wolf for the claim his little mate had made. “Greta.” The witch tried her containment spell again, this time successfully binding the wolf with invisible ties. “Chain him back.”</p>
<p>“But-”</p>
<p>“And when you’re finished, go to Maddox. Help him execute Plan B.” His tone brooked no argument, though Greta had grown too comfortable in his preference. Even now, he could tell she wanted to challenge his command, but she did as he needed and made her way out of the small dungeon. </p>
<p>The wolf struggled loudly with his chains, his heart pounding with the effort. “Leave her alone.”</p>
<p>A crushing wave of possessiveness brought forth Klaus’s fangs, and he finally tore his gaze from Caroline - only for her to pull him back, her hand tangling in his necklaces to hold him close.</p>
<p>
  <em>Don’t you dare hurt him.</em>
</p>
<p>“I’ll run,” she warned, her voice low. “Hurt my friends, and you’ll never see me again.”</p>
<p>She was a brave one, his mate. Laying a gentle hand on her cheek, he couldn’t resist a soft stroke over her lips with his thumb. Bravery would get her killed in the wrong hands. “We’ll see, sweetheart,” he said in a reassuring tone.</p>
<p>Then, he snapped her neck and swung her into his arms. Klaus relished the horror in the young wolf’s expression. “I hope one of your friends thinks to look for you when this is all over.” Caroline’s head rolled to rest over his heart, and he just barely resisted a fond glance down. “I’d like to humor her from time to time, no reason not to start now.”</p>
<p>Before the boy could answer, Klaus sped out of the cellar. He needed to find his mate a safe place for her incapacitated state, preferably one she couldn’t escape should she wake early. But it was a simple enough problem to solve, and quickly - he had a curse to break. Nothing - not even Caroline - would derail him now.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>